NewsBite

HTTP/1.1 200 OKServer: nginxContent-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8X-Powered-By: WordPress VIP Host-Header: a9130478a60e5f9135f765b23f26593bX-Content-Type-Options: nosniffX-XSS-Protection: 1x-rq: syd4 123 242 443Cache-Control: must-revalidate, max-age=289Expires: Wed, 16 Oct 2024 23:35:07 GMTDate: Wed, 16 Oct 2024 23:30:18 GMTTransfer-Encoding:  chunkedConnection: keep-aliveConnection: Transfer-EncodingSet-Cookie: nk=d4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26d; expires=Thu, 16-Oct-2025 23:30:18 GMT; domain=.goldcoastbulletin.com.au; secure; SameSite=NoneStrict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000 ; includeSubDomainsContent-Security-Policy-Report-Only: frame-ancestors 'self'; report-uri https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/csp-reportsContent-Security-Policy: block-all-mixed-content; style-src https: 'unsafe-inline'; script-src https: blob: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; img-src https: data:; frame-src https:;BlaizeHappened: trueX-ARRRG5: /blaize/decision-engine?path=https%3a%2f%2fwww.goldcoastbulletin.com.au%2fweb-stories%2ffree%2fgold-coast-bulletin%2fwhat-couran-cove-island-resort-looks-like-now%3fnk%3dd4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26d-1711775422&blaizehost=v4-news-au-goldcoastbulletin.cdn.zephr.com&content_id=&session=d4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26dX-ARRRG4: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/X-PathQS: TRUEVary: User-Agent
What Couran Cove Island Resort looks like now
Words: Melanie Whiting and Andrew PottsProducer: Andrew Piva
It was supposed to become the future of the Gold Coast when it opened, but the shine has well and truly worn off Couran Cove Island Resort.
The brainchild of champion runner and former Gold Coast mayor Ron Clarke, the South Stradbroke Island eco-resort officially opened in 1998 to much fanfare.
It was an immediate success. Its state-of-the-art athletics training facility was opened by Olympic track legend Carl Lewis and became a popular location for professional sports teams to visit.
Its residential component was also popular, recording $50m in sales across its 249 units, beach lodges and villas.
But the resort’s shine began to wear off in the 2010s when multiple issues came to light, including its complex body corporate structures and legal dramas.
In 2011 the resort closed after its owner, US philanthropist Chuck Feeney, ended his fiscal support, forcing liquidators to be appointed.
In 2012 it was bought for $150m by Brisbane businessman Craig Dowling, who signed it up to the Ramada hotel chain.
But issues persisted over body corporate disputes and fees, leading Wyndham Hotel Group to withdraw the Ramada brand from the resort in late 2016 over “reputational concerns”.
A $100m revamp was announced by Eureka Group Holdings, which took over the management of the resort, but this too failed, and it was sold in 2019 to EDG Capital.
Trouble continued into 2020 when a power supplier threatened to cut the electricity, water and sewerage to more than 350 units unless $5.5m in debts were paid.
It's fair to say Couran Cove hasn't lived up to its early promise and success, with the resort a shadow of what was intended.
Whether it can one day be restored to its former glory and become an attractive option for South Stradbroke Island visitors again remains to be seen.
																											

Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/web-stories/free/gold-coast-bulletin/what-couran-cove-island-resort-looks-like-now